Review: Death Sworn

Death Sworn (Death Sworn #1)

by Leah Cypess

 When Ileni lost her magic, she lost everything: her place in society, her purpose in life, and the man she had expected to spend her life with. So when the Elders sent her to be magic tutor to a secret sect of assassins, she went willingly, even though the last two tutors had died under mysterious circumstances.

But beneath the assassins’ caves, Ileni will discover a new place and a new purpose… and a new and dangerous love. She will struggle to keep her lost magic a secret while teaching it to her deadly students, and to find out what happened to the two tutors who preceded her. But what she discovers will change not only her future, but the future of her people, the assassins… and possibly the entire world.

Source: Edelweiss( Thanks HarperCollins!)

My Thoughts:
This review has been sitting there in my draft pile for a very long time. I have a hard time writing reviews for books that I find unremarkable for no good reason,and this is one of those books.

The premise of this book really drew me in. A cave in which only assassin's live in which a magician who has lost her magic is forced to go.Sounds pretty interesting and full of win,right? Unfortunately I wasn't impressed.There's nothing particularly wrong with this book but it was hard for me to finish it.

I think my main problem with this book was that most of it was cliched and I wasn't able to connect with any of the characters.I liked the main character Ileni because she was so strong and smart but I didn't care about her enough to want to read about how her life was sad and full of so many problems.I wasn't impressed with the male 'hero' of the story as well. Sorin seemed to like Ileni for some reasons that are still not very clear to me.(It might have something to do with the fact that I'm not a huge fan of hers)

The saving grace of the novel is the assassins and their world.I really enjoyed the boss of the assassin world(my words not the authors) and the whole world building and society structure.The murder mystery made me a little curious but I wasn't dying to figure it out.This story had so much potential. I think my expectations were too high.

Overall, If you're really interested in reading about assassins I guess you could give this book a shot but I think I would just enjoy reading Poison Study again instead.At first, I was thinking of giving it a higher rating but I didn't love it and I'm not even that interested in reading the sequel, so ...

My Rating:

2.5/5 

Unremarkable

Review: The Swap

The Swap

by Megan Shull 

“YOU BE ME...AND I'LL BE YOU.”

ELLIE spent the summer before seventh grade getting dropped by her best friend since forever. JACK spent it training in “The Cage” with his tough-as-nails brothers and hard-to-please dad. By the time middle school starts, they’re both ready for a change. And just as Jack’s thinking girls have it so easy, Ellie’s wishing she could be anyone but herself.

Then, BAM! They swap lives—and bodies!

Now Jack’s fending off mean girls at sleepover parties while Ellie’s reigning as the Prince of Thatcher Middle School. As their crazy weekend races on—and their feelings for each other grow—Ellie and Jack begin to realize that maybe the best way to learn how to be yourself is to spend a little time being someone else.

Source: Edelweiss (Thanks HarperCollins!)

My Thoughts:

It's been a long time since I've read middle school fiction. I was afraid that I had outgrown it and it wouldn't hold my attention.This book proved me wrong. This is such a nice and sweet novel that I wouldn't mind re-reading it.

When I first read the synopsis it reminded me of the movie Freaky Friday . I really enjoyed that movie and if you did as well, I think you might like this book. Ellie and Jack are different, not just their gender but their personalities as well. It was such fun reading about how each of them dealt with the other's life. The issues of the characters might seem petty at times but I was having too much fun reading about the circumstances each managed to land themselves in.

I loved the fact that family doesn't suddenly disappear in the novel. Family is very important in this novel and it was nice to finally read a novel in which the parents didn't conveniently disappear.

The ending was unexpected but I liked it. I liked it a lot. 

Overall, this was a feel good novel that was really funny in parts and I love these kinds of novels.

My Rating:

Toss up between 3.5 and 4!

Review: Be With Me by J Lynn

THIS BOOK IS NOT CLASSIFIED AS Young Adult.

It is classified as NEW ADULT.

You can follow the blog tour here

Be with Me (Wait for You #2)

by J. Lynn, Jennifer L. Armentrout 

Teresa Hamilton is having a rough year—she’s in love with her big brother’s best friend, but he hasn’t spoken to her since they shared a truly amazing, mind-blowing, change-your-life kiss. She got out of a terrible relationship. And now an injury is threatening to end her dance career for good. It’s time for Plan B – college. And maybe a chance to convince Jase that what they have together is real.

Jase Winstead has a huge secret that he’s not telling anyone. Especially not his best friend’s incredibly beautiful sister. Even though he and Teresa shared the hottest kiss of his life, he knows that his responsibilities must take priority. He certainly doesn’t have time for a relationship. But it doesn’t help that all he can think about kissing the one girl who could ruin everything for him.

As they’re thrown together more and more, Jase and Tess can’t keep denying their feelings for each other. But a familiar danger looms and tragedy strikes. As the campus recovers, the star-crossed couple must decide what they’re willing to risk to be together, and what they’re willing to lose if they’re not…

Source: Publisher & Mundie Moms (Thanks HarperCollins and Mundie Mums!)

My Thoughts:

I'm a huge fan of Jennifer Armentrout . I actually have a whole tag delegated to her on the blog. I'm actually in awe of this woman , just see the amount of books that are upcoming this year on this blog and the best thing is that I'm waiting for almost all of them! Wait for You was an interesting novel which really pulled me in but it reminded me a lot of Hopeless and it was depressing but not as depressing as Hopeless.Be With Me is a book that I enjoyed more than Wait For You. 

I really liked Tess. I thought she was a nice girl with guts and I didn't want to shake some sense into her like I did with Avery. I really liked her .Unlike the first book the major problem lies with the guy in this novel, Jase was a swoonworthy guy but I did want to shake some sense into him . (It wouldn't be a romance novel if you didn't want to shake some sense into someone! ) 

The chemistry between Jase and Tess was hot and there was a nicely paced plot surrounding them. I'm not saying I didn't predict what happened but I was engrossed throughout the novel.Cam and Avery are very much present in this novel and they don't just disappear. 

 Sometimes you just need nice predictable romances but Jennifer Armentrout manages to sometimes rip your heart out because this series deals with real tangible issues. So even though this didn't break my heart and depress me as much as Wait For You, I would recommend it. I'm glad it didn't break my heart as much as the first because in a way I enjoyed it more. 

I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. I really hoped the next book would feature Ollie but I don't think it does. I think Stay With Me features Calla. 

My Rating:

TOSS UP BETWEEN 3.5 and 4 

Blog Tour: Darker Days Review and GIVEAWAY

Darker Days (The Darker Agency #1)

by Jus Accardo

Jessie Darker goes to high school during the day, but at night she helps with the family investigation business. Cheating husbands and stolen inheritances? They’re your girls—but their specialty is a bit darker. Zombie in your garage? Pesky Poltergeist living in your pool? They’ll have the problem solved in a magical minute. For a nominal fee, of course...

When gorgeous new client, Lukas Scott, saunters into the office requesting their help to find a stolen box, it sounds like a simple case—until the truth comes out. The box is full of Sin.

Seven deadly ones, in fact.

They’ve got five days to recapture the Sins before they're recalled by the box, taking seven hijacked human bodies with them. Easy peasy—except for one thing...

There’s a spell that will allow the Sins to remain free, causing chaos forever. When the key ingredient threatens the life of someone she knows, Jessie must make the ultimate choice between love and family—or lose everything.

Source: Rockstar Blog Tours 

Links: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/ Kobo/iBooks/Goodreads

My Thoughts:

I loved Jus Accardo's debut novel Touch and even though I wasn't a HUGE fan of the sequel I know that she's a great author that is why I've been interested in this novel ever since the blurb came out.

Darker Days is a great book and has restored my faith in the author. I'm definitely going to read more books by her now! I would like to warn you though, that there are quite a few similarities between some of characters in Touch and Darker Days. One thing I noticed was how just like Kale , Lukas was naive and didn't know how the modern world worked but I was enjoying the novel so much that I was willing to look these over .

I loved Jessie.She's snarky,sarcastic and has awesome one liners.I love the fact that she's not concerned with dating and doesn't keep talking about hot guys all the time. The girl is not superficial and I love that about her. I would suggest you read this novel just for her.

Another thing I would like to mention is the fact that parents do play a pretty large role in the novel which was nice.Damien (Jessie's father) is one character I would love to see more of in the sequel. For some reason I really like him.

There were quite a few twists and turns especially towards the end of the novel.I couldn't predict almost any of them .

This book reminded me a little bit of the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent but it isn't as serious as that series so if you're looking for something like it you could check out this book.

Overall,I for one am dying to read the sequel.

My Rating:

TOSS UP BETWEEN 3.5 AND 4

I'm bending more towards the 4 stars though

About The Author

JUS ACCARDO spent her childhood reading and learning to cook. Determined to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps as a chef, she applied and was accepted to the Culinary Institute of America. At the last minute, she realized her path lay with fiction, not food, and passed on the spot to pursue writing. Jus is the bestselling author the popular Denazen series from Entangled publishing and is currently working on the first book in a new adult series due out summer 2013. A native New Yorker, she lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, three dogs, and sometimes guard bear, Oswald.

Find Her: Website/Twitter/Facebook/Goodreads

Book Trailer

GIVEAWAY

US only 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Introductions by C.L.Stone

Introductions (The Academy #1)

by C.L. Stone 

 With an agoraphobic mother and a barely-there father, Sang abhors the isolation keeping her in the shadows. The only thing Sang craves is a fresh start and to be accepted as ordinary by her peers, because for her being different meant being cast out alone.

When her family moves to a new school district, Sang infiltrates a group of boys nearly perfect in every way. Grateful for an influence outside of her parents’ negativity, she quickly bonds with the boys, hoping to blend in and learn from them what it means to have a natural relationship with friends.

Only the boys have secrets of their own and they’ll do anything to keep her safe from the knowledge of the mysterious Academy that they've sworn allegiance to. Bit by bit, Sang discovers that her friends are far from the normalcy she expected. Will her loyalty change when she's forced to remain in the dark, or will she accept that she's traded one house of secrets for another?

Meet Kota, Victor, Silas, Nathan, Gabriel, Luke and North in a story about differences and loyalty, truth and mystery, friendships and heart-throbbing intimacy.

The Academy, ever vigilant.

Links: Goodreads, Amazon(Currently less than a for kindle) for kindle for kindle

Source:Netgalley ( Thanks Arcato Publishing !) 

My Thoughts:

I usually give a star rating to the books I read but I have VERY mixed feelings about these books.I didn't hate them and I didn't like them either.These books cannot be tagged as 2stars/3stars etc. These are NOT negative reviews.These are my thoughts.....

I can't rate this book. I can find SO MANY faults with this book but I'm still dying to read the sequel. I guess I would put this under my guilty pleasure books tab in goodreads because I just couldn't stop reading this book and I have no idea why! Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it has seven hot guys in it. 

You heard me ... SEVEN guys.

The plus point of this book is that there isn't a love triangle/heptagon yet and the male characters are different and draw you to the story.Each of the male characters is intriguing.The characters are just introduced in this book but I can't wait to find out more about them.

My main problem with this story so far has to be the main character.I have mixed feelings towards Sang. She's too naive,trusting and pretty much a walking cliche but I still pity her and can't seem to hate her.I think I might have liked this story much more if it was told in dual POV or from somebody else's point of view.Also, I don't like how some "issues" are being handled in this book.

The plot is interesting yet confusing at the same time.I noticed that not much happens in this book. The book's title isn't misleading at all it just introduces us to the characters and hints at some mysterious secret.I'm pretty sure the main story hasn't started yet.

Overall, I have no idea how to rate this because I couldn't put this book down no matter how much it frustrated me.I think the next book will help me decide whether this series is any good or not.

My Thoughts on Perfect Scoundrels

Perfect Scoundrels (Heist Society #3)

by Ally Carter

Katarina Bishop and W.W. Hale the fifth were born to lead completely different lives: Kat comes from a long, proud line of loveable criminal masterminds, while Hale is the scion of one of the most seemingly perfect dynasties in the world. If their families have one thing in common, it’s that they both know how to stay under the radar while getting—or stealing—whatever they want.

No matter the risk, the Bishops can always be counted on, but in Hale’s family, all bets are off when money is on the line. When Hale unexpectedly inherits his grandmother’s billion dollar corporation, he quickly learns that there’s no place for Kat and their old heists in his new role. But Kat won’t let him go that easily, especially after she gets tipped off that his grandmother’s will might have been altered in an elaborate con to steal the company’s fortune. So instead of being the heir—this time, Hale might be the mark. 

Forced to keep a level head as she and her crew fight for one of their own, Kat comes up with an ambitious and far-reaching plan that only the Bishop family would dare attempt. To pull it off, Kat is prepared to do the impossible, but first, she has to decide if she’s willing to save her boyfriend’s company if it means losing the boy.

Source: Publisher for an honest review ( Thanks Hachette!!)

My Thoughts:

I usually give a star rating to books but sometimes it's just to hard to classify a book under a specific rating. I couldn't decide with Divergent and I can't decide with this book as well so I'm not going to give this book a star rating,I'm just going to write my thoughts.


Perfect Scoundrels keeps you hooked till the end but unlike the previous book it doesn't leave you befuddled. I had VERY high expectations from this novel.

Kat and Hale are two characters who have been tip toeing across one another for two books now . I would have liked to have read about them being a normal(or as normal as they can be) happy couple for some time but their relationship(?) is put to the test almost from the start of this novel. 

Bones(TV series) Comparison/RANT here :
Spoilers for TV series 
The development of Kat and Hale's relationship was almost as disappointing as the relationship of Booth and Brennan. I was so disappointed when they(Bones creators/writers) skipped the entire OH-MY-GOSH-WE'RE-OFFICIALLY-A-COUPLE-NOW.They JUST fast forwarded to OH-MY-GOSH-WE'RE-HAVING-A-BABY-NOW! Atleast Bones and Booth had A LOT of happy and cute couple like moments . I DEMAND HAPPY and couple like moments for Kat and Hale before they're all 'This isn't working out '

RANT ENDS

One thing that was a little irritating was the emotional drama. At first it was nice but by the end of the book I just wanted it to be over.

The best thing about this novel is the fact that at first things seem very simple. All I could think at the beginning was "pfft.. this is too simple"

BUT then things get VERY COMPLICATED and if you miss a sentence you won't realize what just happened.

The pacing of this novel is great and I loved getting to know more about Hale's family.Some parts of the book were hilarious (Well, I found them to be so ) and I just loved the whole family dynamic and the NUMEROUS twists and turns.

The most disappointing thing about this book is the fact that it MAY be the last book in the series. Ally Carter is not contracted currently to write any more Heist Society novels.I really hope there are more Heist Society novels. I really enjoy this series. It's also got universal appeal. Children aged 12 and above can read it.

Overall, This is a great addition to the Heist Society series .It's not as good as Uncommon Criminals and it's definitely not the BEST end to the series but it keeps you hooked till the end and wanting more.

This review is part of 

And In this case I REALLY HOPE this IS NOT the end because if it is...